Across the hospitality industry, a quiet revolution is underway. Some of the world’s most profitable hotels are reimagining what properties should look like, challenging the long-held belief that bigger always means better.
As highlighted by the Wall Street Journal, this new wave of design isn’t about cutting back, it’s about designing smarter. By stripping out underused features and rethinking space with intention, hotels are finding ways to elevate the guest experience while unlocking greater efficiency and revenue per square meter.
It’s a mindset shift: space isn’t just something to fill, it’s something to optimize and monetize.
One of the catalysts behind this shift is the changing market landscape. With Airbnb continuing to shape traveler expectations and global hotel occupancy rates plateauing, many hoteliers are turning their focus from filling rooms to designing more profitable ones.
Take the minibar. Instead of restocking it daily, some properties are removing it altogether in favor of vibrant, self-service bar areas in the lounge. This not only encourages social interaction, it also frees up staff time and drives higher spend.
Closets, which can take up around 7 square feet, are being redesigned with open-plan storage that’s both space-efficient and visually modern. Even ironing boards are being relocated into shared laundry areas, where guests can prep before a night out without sacrificing in-room comfort. Designing rooms that are quicker to clean, and require less staff to maintain, can drive big savings in the long run.
Communal areas are becoming the new profit centers, designed not only to serve but to delight. Lighting and layout are used intentionally to create a buzz around bars and lounges, making them look busier and more inviting. That visual energy signals to guests that they’ve chosen a vibrant, in-demand hotel and encourages them to stay, spend, and socialize.
Around the world, from capsule hotels in Japan to ultra-compact cruise cabins, hotels are proving that smaller can mean smarter. Optimized, well-designed spaces often deliver better value for guests, higher revenue for owners, and greater overall charm.
In this new mindset, more space means more opportunity. Revenue per square meter becomes a north star, and every seat, every room, and every overlooked corner is a chance to make hotels more profitable.
Turning vision into value
Rethinking hotel and room designs is just the start. The other side of the opportunity lies in how hotels manage the monetization of their property.
From parking spots to co-working desks and meeting rooms, flexible, bookable areas are becoming a key part of modern hospitality. But to make it work, operations need to keep up with centralized systems, adjustable rates, and real-time availability.
That’s where Mews Spaces comes in, helping hoteliers go beyond rooms and manage all spaces in one place. It’s a smarter, more streamlined way to turn thoughtful design into lasting revenue.
Making innovation possible
Of course, great ideas need more than buy-in, they need backing. And for many hoteliers, the biggest barrier to transformation isn’t creativity or intent. It’s funding.
Despite the pace of change in hospitality, financing hasn’t always kept up. Traditional options are often slow, paperwork-heavy, and misaligned with the seasonal, fast-moving nature of the industry. That creates a gap between what’s possible in theory and what gets done in practice.
That’s why Mews has partnered with YouLend to offer Flexible Financing to our customers, empowering hoteliers to invest in what matters most. Whether it’s redesigning guest rooms, enhancing social spaces, or upgrading operations, funding can be used however and whenever it’s needed. Repayments flex with revenue, and eligibility is based on performance, not projections.
Because turning vision into value requires more than great design. It requires the means to make it real.
Rethink your hotel. Grow revenue. Fund it today with Flexible Financing.
